Claudia Severa's letter to Sulpicia Lepidina, dated September 11, 100

Source:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudia_Severa

Claudia Severa (born 11 September in first century, fl. 97 to 105) was a literate Roman woman, the wife of Aelius Brocchus, commander of an unidentified fort near Vindolanda fort in northern England. She is known for a birthday invitation she sent around 100 AD to Sulpicia Lepidina, wife of Flavius Cerialis, commander at Vindolanda. This invitation, written in ink on a thin wooden tablet, was discovered in the 1970s and is probably the best-known item of the Vindolanda Tablets.

The letter:

Cl. Severá Lepidinae [suae] [sa]l[u]tem

iii Idus Septembres soror ad diem

sollemnem natalem meum rogó

libenter faciás ut venias

ad nos iucundiorem mihi

[diem] interventú tuo facturá si

aderis

Cerial[em t]uum salutá Aelius meus [...]

et filiolus salutant

sperabo te soror

vale soror anima

mea ita valeam

karissima et have

English translation:

Claudia Severa to her Lepidina greetings.

On 11 September, sister, for the day of the celebration of my birthday, I give you a warm invitation to make sure that you come to us, to make the day more enjoyable for me by your arrival, if you are present. Give my greetings to your Cerialis. My Aelius and my little son send him their greetings.

I shall expect you, sister. Farewell, sister, my dearest soul, as I hope to prosper, and hail.

To Sulpicia Lepidina, (wife) of Cerialis, from Cl. Severa.